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Final session on international mercury convention this week expected to culminate in agreement; UNEP Global Mercury Assessment 2013 finds industrial source Hg emissions may be rising

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The fifth and final session of negotiations on the establishment of an international mercury convention—International Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC5)—is taking place this coming week in Geneva. UNEP produced its first Global Mercury Assessment in 2002 and a subsequent study in 2007.

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Upper atmosphere facilitates changes that let mercury enter food chain

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New research shows that the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere work to transform elemental mercury into oxidized mercury, which can easily be deposited into aquatic ecosystems and ultimately enter the food chain. Exposures to mercury can affect the human nervous system and harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system.

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PCAST suggests 6 key components for climate change strategy to President Obama; adaptation and mitigation

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The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a letter to President Obama describing six key components the advisory group believes should be central to the Administration’s strategy for addressing climate change. Both approaches are essential parts of an integrated strategy for dealing with climate change.

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California ARB and NOAA Collaborating in $20M Research on Interaction of Air Pollution and Climate Change; One Atmosphere Approach

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Schematic diagram of the trade-offs between the implications for regional air quality and global climate change of new policies for management of the atmosphere. The project builds upon the idea that air quality and climate change issues are linked through “one atmosphere”, an approach that demands coordination and multi-tiered approaches.

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EPA, NSF, NOAA, Southern Company and EPRI contribute >$20M to fund SouthEast Atmosphere Study

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SAS involves dozens of other domestic and international research institutions, and is one of the largest North American air quality and climate studies in decades. What are the climate-relevant properties of aerosol in the SE US? Climate Change Emissions' All airborne platforms (i.e., EPA is providing more than $4.3

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Duke study finds China’s synthetic natural gas plants will have heavy environmental toll; 2x vehicle GHG if used for fuel

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Coal-powered synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants being planned in China would produce seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional natural gas plants, and use up to 100 times the water as shale gas production, according to a new study by Duke University researchers published in the journal Nature Climate Change. —Robert B.

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EPA Administrator Outlines Seven Key Themes for Agency in 2010 and Beyond

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The seven themes are: Taking Action on Climate Change. In all of this, we must also recognize that climate change will affect other parts of our core mission, such as protecting air and water quality, and we must include those considerations in our future plans. Improving Air Quality.

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